


oh, but you're good to me

by allmadeofstardust



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Caleb's room is horrible and awful, Extreme Home Makeover, Fluff and Angst, Veth must rectify this issue, Widogast's Nascent Nein-Sided Tower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26820418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmadeofstardust/pseuds/allmadeofstardust
Summary: After Veth realizes that Caleb's room is, well, a shithole torture chamber, she decides she must rectify this little issue and recruits the Mighty Nein for some help.Aka Widogast's Nein-Sided Tower - Extreme Home Makeover edition!
Relationships: Nott | Veth Brenatto & Caleb Widogast, The Mighty Nein & Caleb Widogast
Comments: 9
Kudos: 134





	oh, but you're good to me

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've never written Critical Role fic before AND I've barely watched any of the actual show - my purview into this fandom is 95% secondhand. so please be kind to me.
> 
> I just wanted good things for Caleb. And really, who wouldn't?

It was the morning breakfast after they were all introduced to the tower when Veth noticed it.

They had all been trickling down slowly but surely to the kitchen, enjoying a night’s sleep in chambers more comfortable than they’d had in a very long time. Beau was there first, like usual, chugging the fresh juice she’d found. She raised her hand in greeting as Veth stepped inside, yawning.

“Sleep well?” Beau asked, almost sarcastically. She and Veth both knew that last night’s sleep was well beyond a simple “good” or “fine”.

“Good,” Veth said anyway, and headed over to make toast.

The others filed in, collectively exchanging morning greetings. Jester was somehow already freshly dressed, bouncing around the kitchen, eager to tell people about her room.

The last person to enter was Caleb, and Veth saw it almost immediately. The bags under his eyes, which had all but disappeared in recent days, were back. He was hugging his left arm, his fingers dancing near his wrists in an almost imperceptible movement. To the others, he looked tired and bedraggled. Veth knew the truth.

“Have some coffee, Caleb!” Jester announced, leaning halfway over the table and presenting a pot of the stuff. Caleb took the mug she held with delicate hands, smiling warmly. He took his seat at the table and sipped at the coffee - black, no sugar. He’d always taken it that way, even after all this time. Veth shouldn’t be so concerned. Perhaps he’d just had a bad nightmare.

Breakfast, once prepared, brought conversation to the table quickly, and now that everyone had woken up, the topic was focused only on one thing.

The moment Trent’s name was mentioned, Veth’s attention snapped to Caleb. He seemed calm and composed, just as he had mostly been at the dinner. He sipped his coffee, even interjected his own thoughts. But underneath the table, his legs were shaking. He was blinking too much. And his fingers still found their ways to scratch at his wrists far more often than should be necessary.

Veth waited for the conversation to end, for the group to decide their next move. Today seemed to be a time to collect thoughts and ponder. Caleb suggested doing some research. They all agreed, then rose from the table, letting the cats put away dishes and clean up.

Veth tailed Caleb through the kitchen, to the sink, and watched him begin to help clean, mumbling something about wanting to clear his head. She waited. As everyone else drifted away, Caleb hung back, scrubbing a spare plate, lost in thought.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” he asked finally, after he realized he and Veth were the only ones left in the room.

“Because I know you,” Veth answered. “And I know when you’re not telling me something.”

“What is there to tell?” he said casually, drying off the plate and picking up another.

“Why didn’t we see your room?”

The plate slipped beneath his grasp and fell with a clatter back into the sink. He was silent for a few moments.

“I didn’t think it was relevant,” he said, hesitating. “You all were so interested in your own, I thought - ”

“Caleb,” Veth reprimanded. “You didn’t sleep well last night.”

“ _ Ja _ . This is normal?”

Veth placed a hand on Caleb’s waist. He had stopped scrubbing the dishes, instead electing to keep his hands submerged in the water.

“It doesn’t have to be everyone,” she explained. “But let me in, at least. Me and Beau. We’ll listen, Caleb, we can be there for - ”

“There’s nothing to be there  _ for _ ,” Caleb snapped, lifting his hands suddenly and splashing Veth with water.

“Yes there is,” Veth pressed. “You don’t get to build an entire mansion for your friends and then hide away in it like they don’t all care. Like  _ I _ don’t care.”

Caleb wrung his damp hands, nervous, water dripping onto the floor. Veth handed him a towel and he took it gratefully.

“ _ Ja _ . Alright. Maybe...maybe you’re right.”

“I always am.”

He smacked the towel playfully against her arm.

“I...you won’t like it,” he explained. “But it’s what should be.”

“How will I know that for sure if you don’t show me?”

Caleb drew a hand down his face. He sighed, closing his eyes and making a pained expression. He shook his head, opened them, and looked down at Veth.

“Come on then,” he said, resigned, returning the towel. “But just you, okay?”

Veth took his hand.

“Always.”

***********

Veth couldn’t see anything at first, the room was so dark. With a flick of his wrist, Caleb lit the torches along the stone walls, and Veth took it in. The instruments, the chair. The distinct lack of comfort, of care, the presence of pain and torment.

“Caleb,” Veth said in a soft voice. He was by the doorway, hugging himself tightly, occasionally scratching at his wrists.

“It’s what should be,” he responded, his accent heavier than usual.

Veth opened her mouth to respond but Caleb held up a hand.

“ _ Nein _ . You asked to see. So here it is.”

She swallowed every protest on her tongue in favor of drawing closer to him and taking his hand.

“Alright,” she managed. “We’ll...we’ll leave it.”

“ _ Danke _ ,” Caleb whispered.

They headed back through the door. Veth had one more look at the dark room before the door shut behind them, bringing them back into the main hall.

********

The group reconvened for a brief lunch, exchanging thoughts and observations. Caleb seemed to perk up slightly as Beau approached him and started rambling about her own findings.

Veth found herself next to Caduceus, who was sipping his tea thoughtfully and looking over the room.

“Caduceus,” Veth began casually, leaning in slightly. “Do you remember when...when my husband was kidnapped?”

To his credit, Caduceus didn’t react as greatly as Veth expected him too. He simply looked down at her, eyes wide and blinking slightly.

“Yes?” he said, betraying his bafflement in his voice.

“And...and Caleb,” Veth pressed on. “Well he wasn’t...wasn’t well.”

Caduceus hummed in response. “Where is this going? I hope Yeza is alright?”

“Yes!” Veth exclaimed. “Yes, he’s fine. He’s…”

She struggled to word her thoughts correctly.

“Caleb, then,” Caduceus offered. “Caleb isn’t alright.”

Veth nodded.

“He felt so guilty then,” she continued. “And I - I think he’s struggling again.”

“Because of his room,” Caduceus observed. Veth sighed in relief that she didn’t have to explain everything from scratch.

“Yes. He...he showed it to me. And I think we need to do something about it.”

“Are you sure that’s what he would want?” he replied, taking another sip of his tea.

Veth gripped the edge of the table.

“He’s broken,” she answered honestly. “He’s suffering. I think what  _ he _ thinks he wants is...isn’t what he  _ deserves _ .”

Caduceus nodded sagely.

“Alright then. What do you propose we do?”

Veth smirked.

“Now for  _ that _ , I have an idea.”

She looked over to Caleb, who was actually smiling as Beau doubled over laughing at one of her own jokes.

“Can you get him out of here?” Veth asked.

“Oh?”

“Distract him. Give him something to occupy his time.”

Caduceus chuckled.

“That I can do.”

He rose from his seat and approached Caleb, who was offering his glass to one of the cats. Veth didn’t hear the words exchanged, but saw Caleb’s eyes brighten, saw him nod. Caduceus returned as Caleb gathered his things and left the dining room.

“What did you say?”

Caduceus shrugged.

“Oh, that there was a large collection of research materials recently acquired in the library across town. Should buy us a decent amount of time.”

His smile was soft, but there was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. Veth laughed.

“Perfect.”

Jester entered the room, carrying one of the cats in her arms and scratching its ears. She looked around.

“Where’d Caleb go?”

Veth stood up and walked to the center of the room. All eyes turned to her.

“Well, all,” she announced, clearing her throat. “We have a project ahead of us.”

Jester tilted her head.

“What sort of project?”

Veth smiled.

“Caleb’s room needs a makeover.”

Jester squealed in joy, causing the cat in her arms to leap away in irritation. She jumped up and down, beaming.

“Where do we start?”

**********

They all reached the door, Veth in front. She hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” Jester asked. “Is it locked?”

“Yes. I know how to get in, I’m just...well, standing here now, I wonder if I  _ should _ .”

Beau put a hand on her shoulder.

“You said Caleb set this all up himself, yeah?”

Veth nodded.

“And it ain’t pretty.”

She shook her head.

“Then something tells me we get this bastard a better place to live.”

Veth smiled. She turned to the door. Spoke the words.

For a moment, she feared it wouldn’t work. That it was locked into Caleb’s own magical aura. But the doors shifted and began to open, and Veth thought perhaps even Caleb, deep down, knew someone else would want to access his room.

It was dark, like before, but Caduceus simply sent a beam of light into the empty space. The resulting noises from the group were mixed at best. Beau cursed under her breath. Jester gasped, letting out a sad sound.

“Oh,  _ Caleb _ ,” she whispered as she stepped along the unforgiving stone floor.

Beau found the chairs first. She picked up the straps silently, staring at them, before ripping one of them off with a vengeance.

“Fuck this,” she announced loudly. “We can start here.”

“The wood,” Yasha offered. “We could break it down, make a proper bed.”

Beau smiled at that.

“Gives me an excuse to tear these things apart.”

Jester was observing the rest of the room, peering up at the walls.

“Books!” she announced. “We need books.”

“There’s plenty of books downstairs,” Fjord said. “Yasha and I can go grab some.”

“Bring a whole cartful!” Jester said. “Beau, can we make some bookshelves too?”

“I can grab some spare wood, we can put something together,” Caduceus replied.

“Good, good!” Jester moved to help Beau, who was starting to pull the rickety chairs into pieces. “Veth, could you find some better light?”

“On it.”

They split apart, each after their own part to make the room better. To make  _ Caleb _ better.

An hour later, Beau was laying out plans for a new four poster bed, cursing the lack of someone with a Fabricate spell, while Fjord was attempting to help create bookshelves. Yasha had dug up some sheets and a mattress from who knows where, and Veth was surveying the walls with Jester. She’d managed to find some small magical lights which she had strung along the walls, casting everything in a warm amber glow. Gone were the harsh torches, and though she had no way of creating a window, she had done her best to make the room filled with comforting light.

“Here!” Jester announced. She planted herself in front of a large stretch of wall. She was holding a paint set in her hands. “This is a wonderful place.”

She pulled out a vivid blue and began streaking it against the cruel gray of the wall. Veth left her to it as she wandered over to Yasha, who was observing the small empty fireplace in the corner. Veth knew what it was originally meant for - not a source of warmth, but a method in which to forge tools and heat instruments. It had sinister intentions, and she could see Yasha saw the same.

“We can change this,” Yasha said to Veth. “We just need to…”

She bent forward and pulled hard at the ugly grate that curled its demonic metal tips into the air. It fell apart in an instant, like everything else in the room, and Veth thought fondly to herself that even Caleb had potentially wanted this place to be destroyed.

“Got it!” Beau exclaimed from the other side of the room. She stood, proudly displaying the framework of the bed. Fjord grinned and began hammering at it with a tool kit he’d found. Veth turned to help with the bookshelves, which looked more like planks of wood stacked on top of stone bricks. Veth shook her head, grabbed some spare nails from the tool kit, and went to work.

They all worked tirelessly for the next few hours, and only a few minutes in, Veth decided to break the strenuous silence with a story of Caleb.

“One time he and I were wandering through a shitty part of town,” she remembered as she drove another nail into the bookshelf. “There was a boy, half-orc, but young and scrawny, probably hadn’t eaten in days. And Caleb, knowing we wouldn’t find food for a bit, offered the kid some of his own.”

She smiled.

“I think he was worried the kid might end up in the wrong hands. Taken in by the wrong people.”

“He’s been like that far as I’ve known him,” Beau observed. She was holding the bed frame up in such a way that Fjord could properly attach its pieces. “Always willing to help if it meant getting people away from...well.”

She gestured with a free hand to the room around her, which was beginning to look less and less like the torturous chamber it had been and more like a home.

“Molly liked Caleb,” Yasha interjected, clearing away another layer of metal. “I think that counts for something.”

“Oh, it most certainly does,” Beau laughed.

The conversation kept going, regaling tales of Caleb’s compassion.

“He isn’t just sweet and kind, you know,” Jester said after a time. Veth glanced over at her - her painting had swelled to twice its original size. Veth glimpsed pictures of herself and Caleb, side by side, surrounded by a bright blue sky. Jester was in the middle of painting herself into the picture. “He’s also very funny.”

“Yeah, like that time he got drunk,” Fjord chuckled.

“Which time was that?” Caduceus asked. He had returned from the kitchen with refreshments for everyone. “I believe there have been more than one.”

“Well…”

And on it went. The day passed by, filled with tales of Caleb’s exploits. The bed was finished, the mattress and sheets pulled onto it. They weren’t anything special - simple fabric, a nice purple color - but they automatically washed away any trace of the chairs that had stood in the bed’s place before.

Veth stood up from the final bookshelf, and she and Caduceus began loading them with a variety of books. Yasha had completely revamped the fireplace - no longer was it a tool for torture, but a warm almost cozy hearth. She had managed to start a fire in it, which alit the room with a soft golden glow. Veth observed that the fire wasn’t scary or frightening - it was safe, homely, and she hoped Caleb would like it.

They moved the bed and bookshelves into place, and they all filed in behind Jester, who was putting the finishing touches on her mural. The brilliant sky blue folded into black, with stars twinkling above a visage of Caleb and his friends. He was smiling.

“It’s not very good,” Jester mumbled as she filled out the shading in Caleb’s red hair.

“It’s fantastic,” Veth reassured her.

Jester took a step back and observed her work.

“I hope he likes it,” she said.

Veth looked around the room. A bed, shelves full of books, a hearth. Warm inviting lights from above, and Jester’s mural. It wasn’t much, but she thought it wouldn’t matter.

“He will.”

There was a sound outside in the main hall, below them, of the main wardrobe door opening and closing.

“ _ Hallo? _ ” Caleb called out. “Did everyone leave?”

There was a collective ruckus of several bodies rushing towards the door all at once. Veth was at the front, and as everyone pushed outside she found herself tumbling forward, out into the open air of the hallway. She panicked for a good two seconds as she tried to gain her balance, and suddenly Caleb was there, floating beside her. He grasped her arms and righted her as he moved back up towards where the rest of the group was standing. Yasha was in the rear, awkwardly trying to cover the door with her arms.

“You...you were in my room?” Caleb said slowly, helping Veth to her feet.

“Y - yes,” she responded. Suddenly she was nervous, and she could tell everyone else was as well. Caleb blinked at the rest of them.

“You  _ all _ were in my room.”

He cast an angry look at Veth.

“You said it would be just  _ you _ .”

Veth struggled for a response. Jester beat her to it.

“Caleb, she was worried about you!” she exclaimed, stepping out of the mess that was the group and approaching Caleb. “And when we saw your room, we  _ all _ were, and so we went inside and we changed - ”

“You  _ changed -  _ ? _ ” _

Caleb was standing perfectly still, but Veth could tell he was furious.

“ - just a little bit!” Jester kept going. “We thought you needed it, and we figured you would appreciate - ”

_ “ _ _ Hör auf damit!” _ Caleb cursed, and Jester went silent. She had tears in her eyes.

Veth tried to place a comforting hand on Caleb’s waist, but he flinched away from the touch.

“I told you,” he muttered darkly towards her. “It was as it should be.”

He marched up to the rest of the group, who were still standing in front of the door. Beau was in front, staring at Caleb.

“ _ Bewegung _ ,” he ordered.

Nobody moved.

“ _ Move! _ ” he snapped.

Slowly, everyone slid away. Beau remained where she was, not breaking eye contact.

“Caleb,” she said firmly. “We did this for  _ you _ .”

Caleb deflated, letting out a small breath.

“I did not need you,” he replied, and pushed past her to open the door.

Everyone waited with bated breath as he stepped inside.

Veth crept towards him as Caleb took a stunned step forward. She watched him take in the bed, the hearth, the bookshelves.

“What...what is this?” he breathed.

“It’s for you, Caleb,” Jester said quietly. “All of it.”

They all followed him inside as he began to walk around. His fingers trailed along the edge of the bed frame, brushing the sheets just gently. He found the bookshelves and peered at the titles. Then he looked to his left, and saw Jester’s mural. He stood in silence, his back to everyone. No one dared to move.

“It was as it should be,” Caleb repeated, breaking the silence. “This...this isn’t…”

He brought a shaking hand to his face, covering his mouth. Veth thought she heard a small sob escape his lips.

“This is too much,” he whispered, almost inaudibly.

Veth moved forward cautiously.

“Caleb,” she said, keeping her voice soft. “Your magic on this place. It didn’t put up a fight. It  _ wanted _ us to do this. Which makes me think that you - ”

“ _ You don’t know what I want _ ,” Caleb hissed. He had curled in on himself. He looked ready to break in two.

“Alright. We don’t.” Veth drew level with him. They mirrored the painting on the wall. “But we can sure as hell try to.”

She managed to take his other hand, and she grasped it tightly.

“All of us worked on this.  _ All _ of us. We all love you, Caleb. If you don’t think you’re worthy of that love, then we can’t do anything about it, but we can always be there for you. And right now, that means getting you a comfy bed, with a warm hearth that’s not going to hurt you or anyone else, because we made sure it wouldn’t.”

Caleb swallowed heavily. He squeezed her hand.

“Welcome home, Caleb,” Veth whispered.

Without hesitation, Caleb knelt down and embraced her tightly.

“ _ Danke,” _ he mumbled into her hair. “ _ Danke _ .”

Behind Veth, the rest of the group took the signal and left the room slowly. Jester hovered on the threshold, before Beau quietly nodded to her, and she left too, leaving only her, Veth, and Caleb in the room.

“You can put blame on yourself,” Beau said quietly. “You can live with that, because god knows you’ve tried not to. But we’re not about to let you wallow in self-misery.”

She knelt down and offered a hand.

“Not if we can fucking help it.”

Caleb looked up at her and managed a sad smile. He took her hand and pulled himself shakily to his feet.

“Did - ” He tried to regain his composure. He sniffed loudly and wiped at his eyes. “Did you take these books from downstairs?”

Beau smiled.

“Yeah.”

Caleb shook his head and laughed very quietly.

“I’ve read them all already.”

Veth beamed at him.

**********

It was later that night, after an enjoyable dinner in which Caleb shared his findings and the group told him how they put the room together. He had seemed happy. Content.

Now it was well past midnight, and Veth couldn’t sleep.

She pushed herself out of bed and out into the hall. She found her way to Caleb’s room and knocked lightly on the door.

“It’s open,” he called from inside.

She clicked open the latch and slipped inside.

The lights from above were still there, illuminating the room in its soft amber light. The hearth had gone cold, and when Veth looked over at the bed, she couldn’t see Caleb. She walked further inside and found him sitting on the floor next to the bed, staring up at the mural.

“You should be sleeping,” he told her as she approached.

“So should you,” she replied as she took a seat next to him. “Are you taking it in?”

She gestured to the painting. He instead patted the floor beneath him.

“Familiar spot.”

Veth realized with small disgust that he was sitting in the exact spot the chair had been not one night ago.

“Caleb…”

“It’s okay,” he said. “At least now I have a better view.”

He gazed up at the image of him and Veth holding hands.

“ _ Danke, _ ” he murmured. “For everything.”

“Of course.”

“I know you think I deserve this - ”

“You do.”

“ - and...I appreciate it, I do, but - ”

“Caleb,” Veth interrupted. She placed a gentle hand on either side of his face. “I know. I know it will take time. I know it may never even happen. But in the meantime, you have us.”

She pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“You have me.”

Caleb smiled.

“ _ Ja _ ,” he admitted. “I suppose I do.”

Veth settled closer to him, and they both fell asleep gazing up at the painting.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm all-made-of-stardust on Tumblr
> 
> Title is from "Would That I" by Hozier and is heavily inspired by this lovely Caleb-centric CMV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoATQLlZAUU&ab_channel=Electrospectrum


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